New Generation Toyota Prius Unveiled

A new chapter in the history of Prius opens at the Detroit motor show with the official unveiling of the all-new, third-generation of Toyota’s world-leading hybrid power car. With a heritage of more than one million sales worldwide since the original model was launched in 1997, new Prius takes the benefits of hybrid to a [...]

Car Review: 2009 Toyota RAV4 Sport strikes agreeable balance

The small crossover segment, where the neo-sorta-trucks live, is one of the hottest battlegrounds for consumer dollars. Small skirmishes go on in the border regions; confused vehicles don’t know whether to be mud-slingers with brash attitudes or optioned-up urban sophisticates. Toyota’s RAV4 certainly brings sophistication, and though it can venture off road a bit, it’s not a jumbled, mixed-up mess. The RAV’s classification-straddling lets it serve the whims of a broad array of potential buyers.

Wanting to cover all the bases, the RAV4 can be had in a variety of configurations, from a basic front-driver with four-cylinder power up to a leather-lined, four-wheel-drive Limited with a silly-powerful V6. A Sport version seeds right in between the base and Limited, carrying a satisfying level of equipment. There’s an allure to the big horsepower delivered by the six – especially when it costs as little on EPA ratings as the RAV’s 3.5-liter – but these days, “adequate” is riding a wave of newfound popularity as Americans struggle to pinch more pennies. In keeping with that spirit, when it came time to test a RAV4, we decided to try life with a four-cylinder 4WD Sport.

Toyota to further cut North American production

Toyota announced that it would further cut production at many North American plants over the next few months in a move where it will try to reduce its vehicle inventory by half.

“This is a tough environment, and it may continue for a while,” said Jim Wiseman, vice president of external affairs for Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America.

Wiseman said that in addition to the cuts, Toyota is also doubling efforts to cut costs at its facilities. According to Automotive News, Toyota’s U.S. marketing boss Jim Lentz said that the U.S. inventory of unsold cars and trucks should be in line with demand by May.

Toyota’s spokesman Yuta Kaga declined to state the actual number of vehicles involved in the cuts.

2010 Toyota Prius US pricing

The redesigned 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid goes on sale in the US from late May with Toyota today announcing pricing will begin at US$22,750 - which in an ideal world would mean an Australian price tag of $32,560.
A stripped-down base model version will join the line-up late this year for just US$21,750.
The third-generation Prius comes with a 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine producing 73kW which combined with the car’s electric motor can produce a total of 100kW.
The US Prius comes in five trim levels and includes standard safety equipment across the range such as ESP with Traction Control and ABS.
The second model in the range, priced at US$22,750, adds push-button start, a six-speaker stereo system, six-way adjustable driver’s seat and seven airbags, including a driver’s knee airbag.
The most expensive trim level, at US$28,020 includes Bluetooth, heated front seats, an eight-speaker JBL system and 17-inch alloy wheels.
© Source: caradvice

2009 Toyota Avalon

Toyota’s 2009 Avalon is the automaker’s entry into the full-sized sedan market. The 2009 model is very similar to that offered in 2008. Likes: Lexus-quiet interior Smooth, almost pillowy ride Strong, silent powertrain Backseat space Dislikes: A snooze to drive Conservative look and feel Price overlaps that of Lexus ES 350 TheCarConnection.com has looked to some of the best automotive resources to bring you this [...]

Toyota releases new EX-grade second-gen Prius in Japan

By: Sam Abuelsamid

Sometime in early 2008, about the time when it became clear that Honda was planning to price its then-upcoming Insight hybrid very aggressively, rumors began to circulate that following the release of the redesigned third-gen Prius, Toyota was considering continuing sales of a de-contented second-generation version in order to compete. Ultimately, Toyota confirmed that plan, although the decision was made to offer the old Prius only in Japan. That model, now labeled as the Prius EX, is going on sale in its home market – mostly to fleet customers – starting June 8.
The EX is only available in black, silver or white with a grey interior (the car shown above is a 2009 U.S. model, as Toyota has not released images of the new model). Dual stage airbags and air-conditioning are standard, but luxury items like hub caps and foglights will now be dealer-installed options. The base price of the Prius EX is about $19,700 at current exchange rates (1,890,000 yen, the exact same base price as the Honda Insight in Japan) and Toyota hopes to sell about 2,000 a month.
Toyota vice-president of communications, Irv Miller, explained to Autoblog that the company opted not to offer this model in the U.S. because updated on-board diagnostics regulations for 2010 would require a significant amount of software development, an investment that would likely negate any savings in offering the older model.

Toyota Receives 75,000 Orders for the 2010 Prius

Toyota has received 75,000 orders for the all-new Prius according to the Nikkei business daily, which means its going to be a fierce battle between the new Prius and the Honda Insight.

The Honda Insight was launched in Japan in February and in three months Honda has sold almost 20,000 units, which has surpassed Honda's initial goals. The Insight was also Japan's best-selling vehicle last month.

The new Prius will be on sale here later this month with a starting price of $21,750 including destination fees

Toyota forecasts first operating loss in 71 years

Toyota has forecast its first operating loss in 71 years, citing falling demand and an appreciating yen as the key factors leading to its poor performance. Despite already cutting operating profit predictions by half last month to $6.6 billion, the carmaker now expects to post a ¥150 billion ($1.7 billion) loss in the year through March.
Currently, Toyota's profit for the period from April to September sits at $6.6 billion, however with massive losses expected for the 6-month period from October to March of next year this profit has a good chance of being significantly diminished or wiped out altogether. Global sales of Toyota vehicles for 2009 is expected to sit between 8 and 8.7 million units - almost 2 million units less than Toyota itself predicted recently.
“The environment we’re in is extremely tough,” President Katsuaki Watanabe told reporters today in Nagoya. “We’re facing an unprecedented emergency situation. Unfortunately, we can’t see the bottom.”
Toyota today also cut its global vehicle sales forecast 8.5% to 7.54 million for the year ending March 31. It also lowered its North America sales estimate by 10% to 2.17 million vehicles, reports Bloomberg.
In order to cut costs as much as possible, Toyota may have to delay launching new models, lashing research and development costs and extricating itself from non-essential activities, such as motorsports. Just last week we reported that Honda had cut its losses and left F1 in a bid to stay in the black this year.
Japanese rival Honda is also slashing costs as vehicle sales plummet, and the dire state of the world economy means that Detroit manufacturers are not the only ones feeling the pinch. In Europe, the story is different, with companies such as Porsche reporting record profits on the back of successful share trading of VW shares.
The last time Toyota posted an operating loss was in the year ended March 1938.

Fox Marketing Prepping Twin-Turbo IS Convertible [Tuner Cars]

The tuners at Fox Marketing, fresh on the heels of their twin-turbo IS-F, have returned to the RWD Lexus sedan for a convertible coupe version. Better still? The "Ecto Cooler" green color.

The vehicle itself is not a an IS-F, but rather an IS convertible with an IS-F body and twin-turbos. It's unclear at the time which of the IS family's line of engines this particular model will get, but we're holding out for a screaming V8 — otherwise that rollbar isn't going to get much work. Expect to see this vehicle at the next SEMA in non-rendered format. [via TRMTuned]

Toyota First Quarter Losses Higher Than GM

Toyota forecasts a much bigger-than-expected $8.6 billion loss for the current fiscal year and sell one million fewer vehicles. Bigger news? They blew through $7.6 billion during 2009's first quarter! That's more than GM lost!

That's some pretty big news — especially considering GM dropped $6 billion during the first quarter. Jeez, if only Toyota were building some fuel-efficient, dependable appliance-type vehicles, right? [Reuters, WSJ]